Tiling curb.



BENJAMIN IVI.I ROLPI-I, 0F DIXON, ILLINOIS.

TILING CURB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 24e, 191'?.

Application filed October 27, 1915. Serial No. 58,110.

To all whom z'z may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN M. ROLPH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dixon, in the county of Lee and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tiling Uurbs, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention has reference to tiling curbs, and has for its purpose the temporary support of the walls of earth at the bottom of a trench to permit the work of excavation to be carried on at that point, and the tile to be laid in place therein. It is specially designed to be used in connection with trenches of the narrower class, which are usually dug by means of tiling or ditching machines. In some localities considerable diiiiculty is encountered for the reason that after excavating to a depth of four or five feet a stratum of watery sand is cut into, the walls of which immediately wash into the trench, resulting frequently in the caving in of the more solid walls above the same, and destroying the trench. It has been attempted to cut the trench by machinery through the solid part of the earth, and then complete the trench by hand, but this is not only an operation which consumes considerable time, but ditliculty is still had with the sand in the lower part of the trench, which flows in before the tile can be laid.

My invention provides a barrier at the bottom of the trench, which effectively prevents the encroachment of material from the side walls, and by the use of which the trench can be expeditiously completed, and the work of laying the tile carried on.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side view of my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view thereof. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of two adjacent curbs as they would appear in position in the trench.

My device comprises a pair of sheet metal plates l, spaced apart and united near their endsl with arch-frames 2, pivoted to such plates as at a. The frames 2 are reinforced in their curved portions by ribs'3, and the ends of such frames are projected a short distance beyond the pivotal points, to aid in supporting the plates 1, and to prevent such plates from becoming bent at the pivotal points of said frames.

In practice the plates 1 would be approximately three feet in length, and the trench having been dug to the desired depth by machinery, and the dangerous strata having been reached, one of the devices is placed in the bottom of the trench, longitudinally thereof, with one 0f its ends adjacent to the last tile that has been placed in position. The space between the plates 1 is approximately thc same as the width of the trench, so that when the device is in place the outer faces of the plates 1 are 1n proximity to thel walls of the ditch, and aid in retaining the same. After the device is in position the operator proceeds to remove the earth from between the plates 1, such plates being gradually forced downwardly as the work progresses. This can be bestaccomplished bv means of a short board placed on the upper edges of the plates, upon which the operator stands, his weight forcing the plates downwardly. As the depth of the sand stratum to be excavated is usually a foot or less a width of the plates 1 of a little less than a foot is ordinarily sufficient.

When the operator begins to dig between the plates 1 the frames 2 are turned outwardly as shown in the second curb in Fig. 3, and are retained in that position until the tile have been laid. In practice it is found best to use a series of the devices, and after the earth has been removed from the first one or two thereof by one man a second operator can follow him and lay the tile in place. A third man or boy can then remove the curb that has first been placed from that end of the line and replace it in front of the man who is doing the digging. In this way the work can be carried on very expeditiously, some four or iive of the devices being employed.

The frames 2 are placed far enough from the ends of the plates so that if one of said frames is vertical the next adjacent frame can be turned downwardly between the arms thereof, or two adjacent frames can be turned in the same direction, as in Fig. 3. In this position both of said frames overlap the ends of the plate adjoining the one to which they are attached, and assist in holding such plates in alinement. The frames 2 also furnish a ready means for engagement with a hooked instrument operated from the top of the trench, to remove the curbs.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

In a device of the class described, a pair cf spaced-apart parallel plates; a pair of arch frames pivotally connected with said In testimony whereof I affix my signature Ifnlates near he erds thereof, the contiguous in presence of two witnesses.

rames at t e en s of two ad'oini'n lates forming braces for the ends di suclgi ildlates BENJAMIN M' ROLPH' when they are turned downwardly together Witnesses: l

in either direction, to hold said plates in MAXWELL R. HARPER, fr alinement. GERTRUDE G. YOUNGMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

' Washington, D. C. 

